-- This is the first meeting between UConn and Villanova in the NCAA tournament.

-- Series: UConn trails 33-30, losing last meeting 70-61 on Feb. 16, 2013, at the XL Center. The Huskies have won four of last five overall.

-- Giffey on Villanova: “They’re one of the typical former Big East teams, real scrappy, really aggressive. I know they play a double-team, and they trap on defense. So they really try to bring the game to you.

“They’re not going to just sit back and relax and wait for stuff to fall. That’s just the kind of basketball we expect.”

-- The Wildcats are second in Big East in scoring at 78.5 points and make nine 3-pointers per game.

“They’re a great, amazing three-point shooting team…,” Ollie said. “So we’re going to have our work cut out for us. We’ve got to run them off the 3-point line. We’ve got to play Pinkston down low. He’s a great player also. That’s what gives them balance, and that’s what makes them tough to guard.”

-- For the fourth time in the last five games, UConn will play a ranked opponent. Villanova is sixth in the Associated Press top 25 poll. The Huskies are 6-4 against ranked teams this season.

-- Tonight’s winner advances to the Sweet Sixteen Friday at Madison Square Garden in New York. The next opponent will be Sunday’s winner of the Iowa State-North Carolina game.

-- Napier expects a typical Big East type game.

“The team that’s going to be giving the most effort and the most aggressiveness on the court is going to end up winning because that’s what the Big East is all about.”

-- Villanova’s James Bell on Napier: “He’s a great player, a great point guard. He gets everybody involved as well as himself…. He’s been in this position before and just won a national championship. He knows what it takes to win. He’s just a great opponent, one of the best players in the country. It should be interesting playing against him, trying to stop him.”

-- Villanova coach Jay Wright on his team’s familiarity with UConn:

“UConn, they know, and these guys were recruited by UConn, and they’ve watched UConn. So I think our guys are very dialed in because they have great respect for the tradition and also the current team.”